A Modular Platform for Active Noise and Vibration Control

The Airborne Laser program has an ongoing need to minimize the risks associated with jitter due to acoustically-induced and structure-borne vibrations of sensitive optical equipment. This proposal describes a series of interoperable hardware and software modules designed to quickly implement active noise and vibration control techniques. The modules constitute an active control platform capable of integrating a variety of sensors, actuators, and active control algorithms. Development of the proposed platform will allow the ABL team to evaluate active noise and vibration control solutions in a fraction of the time that would be required to develop a problem-specific solution. The platform will be based on control architectures and algorithms that have been proven in hardware. The research will focus on achieving dramatic reductions in deployment time, making active noise and vibration mitigation as easy to apply as most passive techniques. The Phase I effort will consist of four tasks: requirements definition; conceptual design of the various modules and their interfaces; implementation of a small number of modules to form a prototype active controller; and testing the prototype in a real-world environment. The resulting products will have applicability to a wide range of vibration problems faced by both government and commercial customers.